The Italian film, about a man’s nostalgic reminiscence of his love for cinema and his favorite movie house, is going to christen the new theater at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts when it opens Thursday. It will mark the revival of the UICA’s film program, which has been on hiatus since May while the organization made its transition from its former locale on Sheldon Boulevard SE to its new, high-profile digs at 2 W. Fulton St.

It couldn’t happen soon enough.

Grand Rapids’ lovers of foreign and independent cinema have experienced a drought for those four months. During that time, documentaries such as Errol Morris’ “Tabloid” and James Marsh’s “Project Nim” have gone unseen; buzzworthy indies “Bellflower,” “The Whistleblower” and “Terri” couldn’t fight for screen time at the local cineplex.

In cinema, there’s a gross distinction between the mainstream and the underground. Neither category has cornered the market on quality, but UICA’s programming has been offering consistently excellent programming for the latter for so long, its absence was a bit painful for serious moviegoers.

IF YOU GO

‘Cinema Paradiso’

Opening night of the new Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts film theaterWhen: 2, 5 and 8 p.m. Thursday

But it appears to be worth the wait. The new theater will feature upgrades in film presentation, seating and concessions.

A new digital-cinema projector has been installed; 197 seats, purchased after now-defunct theater Studio 28 closed in 2008 and refurbished, will provide more comfort for moviegoers; a liquor license is in the process of being acquired.

New programming ideas are being pursued as well, according to UICA film program director Ryan Dittmer. A classic world cinema series is in the works, in conjunction with Grand Valley State University. Dinner-and-a-movie options are in development with downtown restaurants. More special film-related events — such as the Found Footage Festival vs. Found Magazine tour, which stops by the venue Nov. 20 — are going to be booked. More filmmakers, local or otherwise, will present their work.

But the core of the program will remain the same: a diverse offering of new documentaries, foreign films and indie features, opening, with occasional exceptions, on a weekly basis.

Dittmer said there’s no hard-and-fast booking philosophy at UICA. He keeps in mind, however, whether there’s an audience in Grand Rapids for a certain film before he pulls the trigger.

THE LIST

The new UICA theater will feature:

-- A 20 percent increase in capacity, to 197 seats.

-- New seats from former Studio 28 theater, refurbished by Irwin Seating.

-- New concession stand with expanded offerings, including beer and wine once a liquor license is secured.

-- Upgraded digital-cinema projector.

“There's a core audience that’s interested in documentaries and certain foreign films,” he said. “There are so many subcultures in Grand Rapids. One week, we open a documentary about black metal and the next, it’s a 19th-century period piece.”

He added that UICA sometimes programs to the tastes of its organization’s members, who get half off ticket prices with a one-year membership. But organizers hope the new building’s high-profile, heavily trafficked location lures in some new faces.

“Between ArtPrize and the new location, more people are aware of us now,” Dittmer said. “ArtPrize has been important in getting people in the building.”

UICA has a few decades of real grass-roots history in Grand Rapids. Dittmer talked about how volunteers used to string up 16-millimeter films at the Bijou and Eastown theaters in the ’70s and ’80s.

“The last theater carried the torch, but was more professional in presentation,” he said. “This is the next step.”

However, unless you’re in a large market, programming independent cinema is a thankless task. It caters to a small, but loyal niche. It’s difficult, almost impossible, to compete with the cineplex’s cavalcade of exploding robots, movie stars, a mountain of subwoofers and 3-D gimmickry.

However, UICA’s programming is consistently excellent — if a film isn’t an award winner, a cutting-edge work or riding a wave of word-of-mouth buzz, it’s at least worth the time and effort to watch. On a big screen. As a collective experience.